The proposed supplement is relevant to the project, by enhancing our understanding of hearing loss, an occurring condition in Down Syndrome (DS). We will specifically focus on an aspect of Component 1: Targeted, high risk-high reward, basic science studies in areas highly relevant to DS. The research will be conducted at the Waisman Center, a premier research institute at the University of Wisconsin Madison, where the PI?s lab is situated. Waisman is one of the named Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Research Centers in the US, where scientific discovery is aimed at advancing knowledge and developing treatment in the area of developmental disabilities. The most common cause of IDD is DS, which occurs in 1/800 live births. In recent years, the survival of people with DS has increased dramatically, enhancing integration into society of adults with DS. Given the fact that mainstreaming is paramount to longevity and better health, we are interested in better understanding hearing loss in people with DS, and the impact on functioning in everyday environments that are typically noisy (e.g., work, residence, and community settings). Successful integration of people with DS into society will depend on effective communication, socializing and functioning of people with DS in their everyday lives. This project will leverage two important, exiting resources at the Waisman Center: (1) Auditory perceptual measures of hearing speech in noise are well established in Dr. Litovsky?s lab and will be re-purposed for the DS population, and (2) Cognitive measures are well established in Dr. Sigan Hartley?s lab and will be integrated into this study with Dr. Hartley?s expert input. Finally, Dr. Bradley Christian whose lab studies brain structure through neuroimaging in adults with DS will assist with recruitment and will provide guidance and support to the project.